I think it's great there's a $999 iMac again. My only complaint with the configuration is lack of a superdrive. I think this model should lose the airport and gain the superdrive. Budget users might not think they want to make a DVD video, but they'll sure appreciate the drive when it's time to back stuff up.

Very cool about Apple re-affirming a commitment to FW800.

The $999 iMac is just the education iMac with a faster proc. Everything else is identical and therefore, it has not lost anything as it was never there to begin with.

"... users note that Apple's low-end 17-inch iMac [...] lacks some of the features of the higher-end model"

Oh, really?? I mean, duh. What a surprise, the low-end model is inferior to the higher-end model. What will they think of next? :-)

This is simply the replacement for the education model of the first generation Intel iMac, but now it's available to the general public.

It's exactly the same thing they did with the eMac: introduce it first for education purchases only, then make it available to everyone.

The lowest end iMac not only has a faster processor, it's also using the Core 2 Duo, not the Core Duo, so it's a whole new processor. Using the wording of "faster" just makes it seem like it's had a small bump in speed, versus a change in processor.

I thought the upgradeable graphics in the 24" iMac was far more interesting than the poverty spec 17" iMac.. Shame tho that some bright spark at Macnn saw fit to link to a french web page about it. I mean i know 'Rendezvous' got renamed to 'Bonjour' but that doesnt mean we can all speak it!

he lowest end iMac not only has a faster processor, it's also using the Core 2 Duo, not the Core Duo, so it's a whole new processor. Using the wording of "faster" just makes it seem like it's had a small bump in speed, versus a change in processor.

So what? What's the end difference in the computer? Oh, its 'faster'.

I thought the upgradeable graphics in the 24" iMac was far more interesting than the poverty spec 17" iMac..

Just because someone on a web-site says its upgradable doesn't make it so. It uses a slot, but without drivers, what exactly are you planning on sticking in there (Apple is not touting the graphics as upgradable).

Shame tho that some bright spark at Macnn saw fit to link to a french web page about it. I mean i know 'Rendezvous' got renamed to 'Bonjour' but that doesnt mean we can all speak it!

First, its not about "speaking" French, it would be about "reading" French. Big difference. If the link was to a video in French, then that would be "understanding" French (or "listening and comprehending" French). Speaking is only needed if you are the one doing the conversation.

Second, it doesn't seem to bother you, though, that you assume everyone can read English when they put up links to those sites?

Oh, really?? I mean, duh. What a surprise, the low-end model is inferior to the higher-end model. What will they think of next? :-)

Its not stupid, its just Mac-users being Mac-users :-). I mean, I know mid and high-end models tend to have the same features, but the low-end models are always lacking something (combo drive vice superdrive, for example), as well as slower here or smaller there. Maybe its just the amount of differences that made the users go "Sure its cheaper, but it has less features! WTF is that!?!?!"

But now that I've written it, it does seem kind of stupid.

"Second, it doesn't seem to bother you, though, that you assume everyone can read English when they put up links to those sites?"

How stupid can you be. Besides the fact that the whole world learns english in school now, we are talking about links in an English article. In an article written in English, why should you assume otherwise than that links would also be to articles written in English.